Device for sterilizing surgical gloves



Jan. 25, 1944. e. E. RlCHARDS 2,340,206

DEVICE FOR STERILIZING SURGICAL GLOVES Filed Nov. 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inrenlor Jan; 25, v E c s DEVICE FOR STERILIZING SURGICAL GLOVES Filed Nov. 9,v 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Jnln/bn J8 WM.

Patented Jan. 25, 1944 DEVICE FOR STERILIZING SURGICAL GLOVES Gordon E. Richards, Toronto, Ontario, Canada- Application November 9, 1942, Serial No. 465,055

7 Claims.

In the practice of medicine and surgery where the use of surgical gloves is required it has been customary to subject the gloves to heat treatment in an auto-clave, but it is found that such practice subjects the rubber to temperatures that are highly destructive. Further, the gloves are left wet and the life of gloves so treated is extremely short.

The present invention has been devised particularly to overcome this defect and to provide means for applying live steam to contact all surfaces of the glove so that there will be no possibility of living bacteria adhering to the surface of gloves treated therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which will enable the gloves to be placed therein for sterilization in the simplest possible manner and in which the minimum amount of time Will be required to effect complete sterilization.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the provision of rack members mounted in an upright position upon tubular supports to which steam is directed to fill the interior of the glove supported on the rack, subjecting it to a complete sterilizing temperature and atmosphere, the rack being supported within a chamber so that the glove mounted on the rack will be completely enclosed within a sterilizing steam atmosphere.

A further important feature consists in the provision of means for drying the'steam-steri lized gloves with sterilized air and coincidentally powdering the gloves ready for application to the hands of the physician, surgeon or nurse.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical mid-section and part elevation through an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal plan section taken through the line 22 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a part plan view of the glove rack supporting plate showing a row of racks mounted thereon.

In the form of the invention herein shown, a casing I is provided which is preferably of rectangular form which has a cover 2 mounted thereon which may be secured in position in any suitable manner to hermetically close the top of the casing.

In the side wall 3 of the casing there is provided an air inlet opening 4 of suitable dimen sions which is enclosed by a suitable form of sterilizing air filteri which permits air to pass readily therethrough from the exterior of the casing into the interior but which will thoroughiy sterilize air drawn therethrough.

Within the casing box I is arranged adjacent to one end a shallow tank 6 which is arranged over an electric heating element I of suitable design and capacity to effect the heating of a shallow body of water within the tank.

A water supply pipe 8 leads through the side wall of the casing I and the wall of the tank and this water supply isv provided with a suitable ball Valve 9 to control the level of water within the tank. A suitable drain pipe All is provided to permit the draining of water from the tank ii.

Mounted on top of the tank 6 is a perforated plate H which has a plurality of shortlengths of pipe l2 mounted therein and extending vertically upward therefrom and having their lower ends open to the underside. These short lengths of pipe may be arranged in a circular row as illustrated in Figure 3, or they may be arranged in staggered relation over the area of the plate.

Each of the pipe members 12 has mounted adjacent to the upper end a rack I3 which is formed of wires, tubes or thin rods and has five uprights 14 which are of suitable lengths and are adapted to extend into the fingers and thumb of a surgical glove l5 which is simply dropped thereover so that the wrist portion of the glove extends down below the rack and surrounds the pipe l2.

Mounted in the cover 2 of the casing l is a cylindrical casing l5 which is provided with an annular shoulder 11 adjacent to the lower flanged end thereof, which shoulder is adapted to rest upon the plate II and enclosesthe glove racks extending above the plate. v

The top of the casing It extends above the cover 2 and is provided with a cover [8 which may be removed to give access to the sterilizing compartment.

An outlet tube I 9 is preferably provided in the upper end of the casing opening above the casing I. A suitable tubular conductor may be attached to this to carry the steam to a suitable outlet or condenser.

Within the tank 6 is arranged a suitable trough-shaped member 20 supported on a cross rod 2i and one end of this trough member is secured to the side wall of the tank immediately below an opening 22.

Fitted into and closing the opening 22 is a tubular conduit 23 which is connected with the discharge conduit 24 of a blower 25 arranged within the casing l, the said blower being driven by an electric motor 26,

A gate valve 21 of a suitable design is arranged between the conduits 23 and 24 and is controlled by a rod 28 extending upwardly through the cover 2 of the casing to control the volume of air directed through the conduit 23 into the trough member 20 in the tank.

In the use of this apparatus the surgical gloves l5 to be sterilized are placed upon the several racks 13 mounted on the perforated plate H after the cover'l 8 has been removed, and heat is applied to the shallow body of water contained in the tank 6 through the medium of the electric heating element 1. The steam generated within the tank 6 by the application of" heat thereto j mounted in flows upwardly through the pipes I2 the perforated plate ll coveringthe tankand it 7 also flows through the perforations II in the.

plate.

The steam flowing upwardly through the pipes 12 enters the interior of the gloves supported on the racks l3 and the" live steam completely fills the interior of the glove extending up into the fingers and to the very extremities of said fingers.

It is preferred to heat the Water in the tank 6 to create a slight amount-of pressure of steam so that the steam flowing into the interior of the gloves through the pipes l2 will lift the gloves slightly so that the tips of the fingers will be lifted from contact with the end of the finger racks and no portion of the interior of the gloves will remain not directly contacted by the live steam. The steam may be obtained from any source.

Similarly the live steam entering the interior of'the casing it through the perforations l I in the plate ll surrounds the entire external area of the gloves and efiects a complete sterilization of same.

When the gloves thus supported on the rack have been treated for a sufiicient length of time to the effect of the steam the supply of electric current to the heater is cut off and the blower motor is started. The inlet of'the blower is arranged within the casing and draws air into the casing through the sterilizing screen 5. The air thus drawn in is blown through the conduit 24 past the gate valve 21 into the conduit 23 and is directed into the trough-shaped member 20, which is above the water in the tank 6.

The air is directed by this trough-shaped mem ber upwardly through the perforations H and through the pipes l2 and in a very short period the steam is evacuated from the tank -6-and cas ing l6, and the moisture which may have-condensed from the gloves is dried both from the interior and exterior thereof.

If desired a heater may be provided within the casing l or within the conduits 23 or 24 toeifect a more rapid drying of the gloves and-any suitable arrangement of conduits for conducting the drying air to the pipes [2 may be used.

When the gloves have been subjected to the drying atmosphere for a suflicient length of time a charge of sterilized dusting powder may be directed into the conduit 23 from the powder-holding receptacle 29 mounted thereabove, the discharge of powder into the-conduit 23 being controlled by a suitable valve with a rod 30 extending up through the cover 2 of the casing I. The powder blown in and upwardly through the perforations in the plate II and the tubes I2 will cover the surface of the gloves to enable their ready application to the hands of the operator desiring to use same. An apparatus such as described is preferably conveniently located within "an operating room and suitable provisions can be made to arrange a sterile atmosphere over the sterilizing glove container and when the gloves have been dried and powdered they may be removed from the racks with sterile implements and immediately placed upon the hands of the operator in the sterile atmosphere.

The atmosphere of operating rooms is of course sterilized and the operator can a proach the patient with a definite assurance that the maximum of sterilization in the gloves being used has been achieved.

. It will be understood that many variations in the structure of an apparatus such as described may be put into effect without departing from the principal feature, which is to provide glovesupporting racks within a sterilizing chamber to support the gloves so that a sterilizing atmosphere will be created both within and around the gloves.

It will be understood that a suitable wrapping or packaging device may be arranged in the sterile chamber to remove the sterilized gloves and wrap same so that they can be handled outside the casing without contamination.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An apparatus for sterilizing surgical gloves, comprising a sterilizing chamber havinga perforated bottom to direct jets of steam upwardly into said chamber, a generator for generating a sterile atmosphere of steam arranged below said sterilizing chamber, tubes mounted in said perforated bottom leading from said generator and having open ends discharging into said sterilizing chamber, and racks arranged within the sterilizing chamber having fingers extending above the open ends of said tubes and into the fingers of'the gloves to be sterilized and sup porting the gloves with the discharge end of the tube extending into the gloves to discharge live steam upwardly into the interior of the body of said gloves.

'2. An apparatus for sterilizing surgical gloves, comprising 'a sterilizing chamber, a generator for generating a sterile atmosphere arranged adjacent to said sterilizing chamber, tubes GXf tending from said generator into said sterilizing chamber, racks mounted on said tubes for supporting the gloves'over the discharge ends thereof, and means for directing a drying atmos phere through said tubes into andaround the gloves to dry 'same following the sterilizing thereof. j

3. An apparatus for sterilizing surgical gloves, comprising a sterilizing chamber having a perforated bottom, a steam generator arranged belowthe perforated bottom of said sterilizing chamber, tubes leading uywardly' through said perforated bottom from said steam-generating chamber, racks mounted on the inner ends of said tubes for supporting the gloves in a, position surrounding the discharge end of saidtubes, and means for directing a flow of air through the perforations and tubes at the bottom ofv the sterilizing chamber to effect the drying of said sterilized gloves. 4. An apparatus for sterilizing surgical gloves, comprisinga sealed casing having an air inlet, means arranged in said air inlet to sterilize air drawn into the casing, a blower arranged within the casing, a tank connected with the discharge of said blower, a casing mounted in the cover of the aforesaid casing enclosing the top of said tank, a perforated plate arranged. at the top cream tank forming the bottom of the steriliz-' ing chamber, tubes leading upwardly through the perforated plate, racks mounted on said tubes and adapted to support the gloves to be sterilized in a position surrounding the discharge ends of the tubes, and heater means associated with said tank to generate steam therein.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, having an adjustable valve arranged in the discharge from the blower to regulate the flow of air to dry said gloves.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, having a powder container mounted on the blower discharge leading to said tank, means for directing and controlling a flow of powder from said container into said blower discharge.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, having a deflector arranged within the tank forming an extension of the discharge from the blower to direct air upwardly through the perforated bottom and the tubes mounted thereon into the sterilizing chamber and into the gloves supported 1 therein.

GORDON E. RICHARDS. 

